Can I claim a 1098-T if I graduated years ago but am still making monthly tuition payments?

The 1098-T is used to report qualified education expenses that you paid during the tax year, not when you were enrolled. So yes, you can absolutely claim those ongoing tuition payments on your tax return! What matters for education credits and deductions is when you actually paid the expenses, not when you took the classes. Since you're making monthly payments on undergraduate tuition, those payments made during the tax year are potentially eligible for education benefits. I'd recommend looking at the Lifetime Learning Credit, which gives you a credit of 20% of up to $10,000 in qualified education expenses (so max $2,000 credit). Unlike the American Opportunity Credit, the Lifetime Learning Credit doesn't require you to be pursuing a degree or be enrolled at least half-time.

Just wanted to share that I was in a similar situation and discovered https://taxr.ai which saved me so much headache with my education credits! I was also making payments on old tuition while in a different program and was super confused about what I could claim. I uploaded my 1098-T and the payment records from my payment plan, and it automatically figured out exactly what I could claim and how. It also explained which education benefit was best for my situation (turned out the Lifetime Learning Credit was way better than what I thought).

So I was skeptical in my earlier comment, but I decided to give https://taxr.ai a try with my complicated education expenses. I had a similar situation - still paying for previous education while in a different program now. I'm honestly shocked at how much it helped! It correctly identified that my monthly payments qualified for the Lifetime Learning Credit even though I'd graduated years ago. The tool showed me exactly which expenses counted and which didn't, with specific IRS references. The best part was that it spotted about $4,300 in qualified expenses that my regular tax software had missed completely because of the timing of my payments. That translated to an additional $860 on my refund that I would have completely missed otherwise. If you're dealing with education credits, especially with an unusual situation like payments after graduation, I'd definitely recommend giving it a try.

If you're struggling to get answers about your 1098-T situation from the IRS, I highly recommend https://claimyr.com for getting through to an actual IRS agent quickly. I spent DAYS trying to get clarification about my old tuition payments and kept hitting the "high call volume" message. With Claimyr, I got through to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes who confirmed exactly how to handle my situation. They even have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with clarified that payments made during the tax year for qualified education expenses can be claimed regardless of when you took the courses. She also helped me understand how to document everything properly in case of an audit.

I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After struggling for literally 3 weeks trying to get through to the IRS about my education credits, I tried Claimyr out of desperation. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 12 minutes. The agent confirmed that my situation (very similar to the original poster - paying old tuition on a payment plan) qualified for the Lifetime Learning Credit based on when the payments were made, not when I took the classes. The agent also explained exactly how to document everything properly and what supporting documentation to keep in case of questions later. This 15-minute call saved me hours of research and uncertainty. Really wish I hadn't been so stubborn and had tried this service weeks ago instead of wasting so much time on hold and getting disconnected.

One thing to check - make sure Box 1 on your 1098-T actually shows the payments you made during the tax year. Sometimes if you're on a payment plan, the university might report it differently. In my case, my old university didn't include my payment plan amounts on the 1098-T because technically they had already reported the full tuition amount in the year I took the classes. I had to call the bursar's office to get a separate statement showing what I actually paid during the tax year.

Don't forget to check if your state offers tax benefits for education expenses too! I'm in New York and was able to claim a state tax deduction for my tuition payments even after I graduated.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar boat - graduated in 2022 but still making payments on my undergrad loans through my school's payment plan. One thing I learned the hard way is to make sure you're keeping detailed records of ALL your payments throughout the year. I use a simple spreadsheet to track the date, amount, and what the payment was for (tuition vs fees vs interest). This made it so much easier when I needed to prove my qualified education expenses. Also, if you're considering the Lifetime Learning Credit vs the tuition and fees deduction, run the numbers both ways. Depending on your tax situation, sometimes the deduction can be more beneficial than the credit, especially if you're in a higher tax bracket. The deduction can reduce up to $4,000 of taxable income, while the LLC maxes out at a $2,000 credit. Good luck with your filing!